Cocina Economica Mexico

by Ada on January 31, 2013

Last Saturday Keviniski and I headed to Cocina Economica Mexcio, a home-style restaurant that replaced the former inhabitant, Recipe. As sad I was to see Recipe go, I was eager to try the owner’s take on Mexican cuisine.

To drink we shared a traditional margarita that lacked the astringent sweetness of margaritas that I generally dislike. Unfortunately the second margarita lacked the same perfect balance as numero uno, resulting in an overly sweet imbibement.

To begin we shared the Avocado Corn Bread, an interesting twist on a traditional classic. The bread, arriving on a corn husk and possessing the same green hue as Shrek, had a lovely soft texture and subtly sweet taste. I wish the portion had been larger, but can’t complain with the $2.50 price tag.

Kevin and I have a tradition of sampling tacos wherever we go. We kept our Taco Quest alive by ordering two varieties as appetizers.

The requiste taco accoutrements, including a very-chocolatey mole sauce:

First up was the octopus taco:

Though we both loved the actual cephlapod, we agreed that the corn tortilla completely overpowered it. The solution to this would to either serve the taco on one tortilla or increase the octopus content (I vote for option number two!).

Next up was Carne Asada, our standard metric for measuring taco-making talent:

The meat tasted very traditional and comforting, as though it came out of your grandmother’s kitchen.

For an entree I selected the vegetable casserole, arriving with a medley of seasonal vegetables, such as kale and squash. The dish was served with lentils and black beans.

Though I really loved the variety of vegetables, the dish tasted rather one dimensional. The flavor of the black beans completely melded with the vegetable’s sauce, making their distinct flavors undiscernable.

Kevin selected the slow-cooked pork shoulder.

This dish was a real winner with it’s comforting flavor and tender meat. Perfect for a freezing winter night.

For dessert we shared the banana empanada

and butternut squash ice cream:

The thought of butternut squash ice cream intrigued me, but the concept proved more alluring than the actual execution. The ice cream possessed an overly icy texture with an almost-too subtle taste of the squash. The banana empanada, however, proved a perfect conclusion to our great meal.